From Stand Up, Take Action 2010 - Tomorrow the World will MAKE A NOISE FOR THE MDGs

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CITIZENS' VOICES AGAINST POVERTY WILL CRESCENDO IN NOISES HEARD AROUND THE WORLD AS HEADS OF STATE TRAVEL TO UN SUMMIT

Citizens Will Make their Expectations that Governments Achieve the Millennium Development Goals Too Loud to Ignore at Events Across the Globe on September 17-19

On September 17-19, people across the globe will turn up the volume on their call for heads of state gathering at the United Nations on September 20-22 to demonstrate leadership in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Citizens will gather at events across continents to amplify their support for the eight MDGs, a set of targets to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes by 2015 that marks its tenth anniversary this week. They will be singing, chanting, blowing whistles, playing drums, blowing vuvuzelas, banging pots and pans and setting off alarm clocks. The sounds of these noises emanating from villages, towns and cities around the world as part of the three day mobilization "Stand Up, Take Action, Make Noise for the MDGs" will make citizens' commitments to track and support their countries' achievement of the Goals visible, vocal and impossible to ignore.

"The Secretary General's recent report on the Millennium Development Goals has made it clear that with only five years until the deadline by which world leaders have promised to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes, the active partnership of citizens and governments is more important than ever," said Corinne Woods, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign. "The citizens participating in 'Stand Up and Take Action' on September 17-19 will make it clear to heads of state gathering at the United Nations the following week that they support and want to be a part of the realization of the Goals."

The mobilization will serve as a launching point for a new initiative of real-time monitoring by citizens of basic service delivery in their communities. The availability of and access to quality, reliable and consistent basic services are essential for the MDGs to be realized at the country level. The Millennium Campaign will work with governments, civil society, technology partners and the media to launch pilot citizen tracking programs in India and Kenya in 2011.

Note to editors:

"Stand Up" events being organized across the globe include:

● Concerts across Bangladesh, Cambodia, Columbia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, and Zimbabwe, where local artists will sing their support of the MDGs.

● In Jordan, 40,000 children are expected to simultaneously blow whistles in support of the MDGs, in an attempt to set a new world record.

● In India, "Stand Up" will kick off with a film festival on September 17.

● In New York City, Lincoln Plaza will be the hub of Stand Up activity on September 19, with exhibitions on promises and progress to end poverty as well as speakers and performers.

●In Paris, French citizens and civil society organizations are organizing a flash mob and Stand Up moment in front of the Eiffel Tower on September 18.

●In Washington, D.C. citizens will come together with local musicians, drummers and bands just two blocks from the White House, to amplify their voices in support of the MDGs.

•In the Philippines, various fiestas in towns and cities nationwide will be dedicated to the call for the achievement of the MDGs, including events from September 17-19 where citizens will play indigenous materials including coconuts and bamboo guitars.

• In Columbia, the United Nations, in partnership with the National Soccer League, will invite 30,000 spectators at one of the most important soccer matches of the season to Stand Up on September 19.

•In Egypt, religious leaders will give sermons calling for an end to poverty in more than 50,000 mosques and at Sunday masses in churches across the country. A national youth rally will take place on September 17 at the historic site of the Giza pyramids, entitled "The Sphinx Stands Against Poverty."

The "Stand Up and Take Action" mobilization comes amidst an ongoing process of citizen engagement with their leaders in support of the MDGs. Upcoming activities include the launch of an alternate report on MDG progress in India and the Philippines on September 15; a dedicated MDG Week in the Philippines House of Representatives where citizens will launch a roadmap for poverty reduction; and a collective appeal in support of the MDGs to be presented to the government of Nepal on September 15.

Last year, more than 173 million people participated in "Stand Up," setting a new Guinness World Record. "Stand Up and Take Action" is organized globally by the United Nations Millennium Campaign, in collaboration with a wide range of partners, including the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

For event listings, photos, sounds from Stand Up events and more information, visit www.standagainstpoverty.org

About the UN Millennium Campaign

The UN Millennium Campaign was established by the UN Secretary General in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens' efforts to hold their governments to account for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals were adopted by 189 world leaders from rich and poor countries, as part of the Millennium Declaration which was signed in 2000. These leaders agreed to achieve the Goals by 2015. Our premise is simple: we are the first generation that can end poverty and we refuse to miss this opportunity. For more information, visit www.endpoverty2015.org.

Copyright © 2010

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A Plan to Address Literacy Is a Plan to Address the Millennium Development Goals

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Today, BloggersUnite celebrates International Literacy Day, the day on which UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world.

Since its foundation in 1946, UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts and is dedicated to keeping literacy high on national, regional and international agendas.

September 8th International Literacy Day

Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now close to four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for all – children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal and an ever moving target. A combination of ambitious goals, insufficient and parallel efforts, inadequate resources and strategies, and continued underestimation of the magnitude and complexity of the task accounts for this unmet goal. Lessons learnt over recent decades show that meeting the goal of universal literacy calls not only for more effective efforts but also for renewed political will and for doing things differently at all levels - locally, nationally and internationally.

This is obviously tied to Millennium Development Goal No. 2. Universal Education with 67.4 million children not being provided an education.

While four billion people in the world are literate, there are still one in five adults or some 796 million adults lacking minimum literacy skills. About two-thirds of those are women, so Millennium Development Goal 3. Gender Equity is also a factor.

Since January 2003 through resolution A/RES/56/116 the United Nations has declared the United Nations Literacy Decade, 10-year focus on the topic and International Plan of Action for the Decade.

Why is literacy important?

Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development. Educational opportunities depend on literacy.Literacy is at the heart of basic education for all, and essential for eradicating poverty, reducing child mortality, curbing population growth, achieving gender equality and ensuring sustainable development, peace and democracy. There are good reasons why literacy is at the core of Education for All (EFA).

A good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning; literate parents are more likely to send their children to school; literate people are better able to access continuing educational opportunities; and literate societies are better geared to meet pressing development .

Zunia reports that Plan International is putting forward an Education Strategy 2010-2013 that covers the last 3 years of the UN Literacy Decade.

Plan is committed to high quality education for children and young people. This strategy focuses on Plan's 3 education priorities - improving equal access, enhancing quality and strengthening education governance.

Each strategic priority has a clear set of key actions designed to bring about change, not only for families, schools and communities, but also at national and international levels.

The strategy places particular emphasis on the need to eliminate gender discrimination, as well as focussing on other key challenges, such as the inclusion of marginalized children.

Education and literacy are the human capital basis for achieving the other 7 of the United Nations' Eight Goal Millennium Campaign. From September 17 to 19 we need to Make NOISE to let the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, taking September 20 to 22, 2010, know of their importance and the importance of all the Millennium Development Goals.

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Can the MDGs End Poverty by 2015? asks the UN - What have they done so far? asks a billion others

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The claim is that We Can End Poverty with Millennium Development Goals by 2015: UN Summit, 20-22 September 2010, New York"> - Annotated

With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20-22 September to accelerate progress towards the MDGs.

“Our world possesses the knowledge and the resources to achieve the MDGs” the Secretary-General stated in his report in preparation for the September summit. “Our challenge today is to agree on an action agenda to achieve the MDGs.”

Here is the question one billion people at the bottom of the global wealth scale could be asking themselves this month. Are the Millennium Development Goals helping me? At least one person has made this question explicit.

Are Millennium Goals helping me? « Ethnicsupplies’s Weblog
This week the Department for International Development here in the UK has issued a new report ELIMINATING POVERTY : Building Common future, which spells out a new direction and desire to address issue of poverty in the developing world and amongst other things the report looks at the impact of the economic downturn on those in the developing countries. And at the UN summit of September 2000 the richest nations in the world made pledges to the development world that are summed up in what has become to be known as the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs.

So, how do we monitor the MDGs? When the United Nations meets in a few weeks do discuss the Millennium Development Goals what will they be using as their benchmark? How will they assess how effective programs have been?

MDG MONITOR :: Tracking the Millennium Development Goals"> - Annotated

The MDG Monitor shows how countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the 2015 target date fast approaching, it is more important than ever to understand where the goals are on track, and where additional efforts and support are needed, both globally and at the country level.

The MDG Monitor is designed as a tool for policymakers, development practitioners, journalists, students and others to:

• TRACK progress through interactive maps and country-specific profiles
• LEARN about countries' challenges and achievements and get the latest news
  
• SUPPORT organizations working on the MDGs around the world
  

Diigo tags: Millennium Development Goals United Nations mdgs Monitor

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Obama Promised to Cut World Poverty in Half - Hold Him to It!

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The promise of the Millennium Development Goals is not some recent action by our governments. It is actually more than a promise, it is a commitment defined through the cooperative agreement of 189 nations that signed onto the Millennium Declaration on 8 September 2000. Numerous promises have been made since then, some closer to home than others.

Andrew at Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team reminds us that last year, President Obama stood before the UN and pledged to the world that the U.S. will support the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and approach next year's summit with a global plan to fight world poverty.

This lifesaving pledge is due this September and we need more than just talk. Urge President Obama to follow through on his words and take the lead on achieving the MDGs by 2015 »

If these goals are achieved, world poverty will be cut by half, tens of millions of lives will be saved, and billions more people will have the opportunity to benefit from the global economy. Help cut poverty in half

Update: I was signatory No. # 12,111: they are looking for 15,000, which to my mind is far too low.

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Articles from Diigo Make Noise MDGs 07/12/2010

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• What Next for the Millennium Development Goals? "> - Annotated

  It is just about time for yet another round of international development goals. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - the eight goals, 20 targets and 60+ indicators that came out of the United Nations in 2000 - are coming to the end of their natural life. Although the official end date is not until 2015, if your country is not close to reaching the MDGs now, there is simply not much time to catch up. (Helpfully, the UN's MDG Monitor website counts down to 2015 by the second.)

  tags: wiley millennium development goals mdgs

  • So what should MDGs redux look like if we want them to be constructive and not merely more of the same? A good place to start is to consider the pluses and minuses of the current set. On the positive side, the MDGs have been hugely successful at fundraising. The MDGs evolved out of a set of goals created at the OECD in the mid-1990s as a direct attempt to try to reverse the steep cuts in foreign aid after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Total aid plummeted by more than 20 per cent between 1992 and 1997, prompting waves of panic within the aid community. At the time of the September 2000 UN Summit when the MDGs were adopted unanimously by the largest-ever gathering of heads of state, total aid was around $60 billion per year. By 2005 the level had doubled to around $120 billion and it has hovered around this level ever since. Coincidentally, a series of 'MDG costing studies' suggested that just such a doubling was necessary for those goals to be achieved (Devarajan et al., 2002; Zedillo, 2001).

• United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — UN Women "> - Annotated

  In an historic move, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously on 2 July 2010 to create a new entity to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide.

  tags: mdg3 UNDP gender-equity millennium development goals

  • The establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — to be known as UN Women — is a result of years of negotiations between UN Member States and advocacy by the global women’s movement. It is part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.

• UNFPA - Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival "> - Annotated

  The report provides a mix of good and bad news. One good news message is that the under-5 child mortality rate has declined by 28 percent, from an estimated 90 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 65 deaths per 1000 in 2008, accounting for a reduction of nearly 4 million child deaths per year.

  tags: unfpa mdg5 population millennium development goals

  • This report collects and analyses data from the 68 countries that account for at least 95 per cent of maternal and child deaths. It produces country profiles that present coverage data for a range of key health services, including:
    

    • Contraceptive use.
    • Antenatal care.
    • Skilled attendance at delivery.
    • Postnatal care.
    • Child health.
    • Financial investments in maternal, newborn and child health.
    • Equity of access, health systems and policy.

• New Statesman - An enlightenment fit for the 21st century "> - Annotated

  The Tories’ “big society” challenges the people, and not just governments, to embrace change. To effect its own change for the better, Labour and the left must imbibe new ideas about human psychology and learn how to speak a collective language of ethics.

  tags: Enlightenment Royal Society of Arts 21st-century Tories

  • The Royal Society of Arts has a new motto: 21st-century enlightenment. It pays tribute to the 18th-century founders of the society and is a statement about the RSA's role today. We have been asking how Enlightenment principles have come to be interpreted and whether they should be rethought in the light of today's challenges and important new insights into human nature. Although this may sound a long way from the more prosaic debates in Labour's leadership campaign, perhaps that process might benefit from imagining a radical politics that seeks not merely to respond to modern values, but to shape them.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Articles from Diigo Make Noise MDGs 06/27/2010

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• Indigenous Women - UNPFII - United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

  “The Forum recommends that agencies and bodies of the United Nations and other inter-governmental organizations rethink the concept of development, with the full participation of indigenous peoples in development processes, taking into account the rights of indigenous peoples and the practices of their traditional knowledge.”

  tags: millennium development goals, women, indigenous, unpfii, mdg3, mdg1

• Global Movement for Children

  A participating non-government organization in the MDG summit this September. The GMC was created as a result of the outstanding success of the “Say Yes for Children” campaign which led to the UN Special Session on Children in 2002 resolving to help mobilize citizens of every nation families, communities, civil society, organizations of every kind and children within an active, influential and united movement. This means

  tags: child health, education, mdg2, mdg4, millennium development goals

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Girls Learning to Help Girls Learning to Help Themselves.

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It seems that this is the year of the Girl. This blog has written on issues related to Millennium Development Goal No. 3 Gender Equity and especially on programs focused on the younger set through the Girl Effect programs.

• The Girl Effect

• Talking about the Girl Effect at Davos on YouTube

• Change Initiative to Empower Adolescent Girls Investing in the Girl Effect

The idea is to intervene early to provide a sense of empowerment in young females so that they can make a difference in their societies when they grow up. Even with the younger set their are two sides, those who have and those who don't. The first program looks at those who have and endeavors to instill in them a sense of responsibility for girls leaving in circumstances far less fortunate.

Robin Marty of Care2 writing on Women's Rights wrote on the United Nations decision to Girl Up!

Today, the United Nations has taken another step to address these issues particular to girls across the globe with the launch of GirlUp, a campaign that "gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls." According to the campaign's website, "girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted, and positioned to be the next generation of leaders."

• Homepage | GirlUp | United Nations Foundation | Uniting Girls to Change the World

  Diigo Tags: girlup, United Nations, mdgs

from Diigo. The rest of Make Noise for MDGs group favorite links are here.

The second program, introduced by Emily V. also of Care2 and part of the ThePetitionSite Team, is concerned with girls in developing countries. Emily is asking us to tell Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to use Bright Future as a model to end violence against women worldwide »

I did with the following message:

Bright Future gives women a fighting chance. It provides education and health checks for young girls and protects them from violence.

Bright Future is only one of many programs and projects in existence but none of them will have any impact if our governments do not take full responsibility of ensuring that these programs are supported. The United Nations is the best organization to push this agenda on a global scale as it is concurrently pushing for the implementation of Millennium Development Goal 3. Gender Equity and because girls are far less likely to be educated as compared with boys, with Millennium Development Goal 2. Universal Education

As of the time of posting this they were at 15,513 signatures! I put in my two cents taking the usual slacktivistic tactic of using the prepared online statement and throwing something related to the Millennium Development Goals. Those looking for a more hands on approach in the future should consider GirlUp as a place for future leaders.

UN Secretary-General saying MDGs must be met but a lack of political will keep Millennium Promises unfulfilled, calls for MDG Summit

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We are now two-thirds the way to 2015, the supposed finish line to achieving the United Nations' Eight Goal Millennium Campaign, but our progress has been sorely lacking in many ways.

According to the United Nations Non-governmental Liaison Service and other sources, 2010 will be a critical year in determining which development pathways our world will pursue. In 2000, UN Member States agreed to the Millennium Declaration and committed themselves to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

On 20-22 September 2010, the General Assembly will hold, in New York, a High-level Plenary Meeting, also referred to as the ‘MDG Summit’. The Summit’s main focus will be to build on what we have learned during the past 10 years since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration and how to accelerate progress towards the internationally agreed development goals, in particular MDGs. The Summit will take stock of the successes, best practices, lessons learned, obstacles and gaps related to the MDGs and other development goals.

Millennium Development Goals must be met, UN Secretary-General says

The Report provides basis for Government negotiations on action plan to 2015 deadline.

Read the Secretary-General's report, " Keeping the Promise", (and in his remarks calling for the adoption of a global action agenda for accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which serves as the basis for Member States' deliberations on an action-oriented outcome document for the Summit. It identifies successes and gaps, and lays out an agenda for 2010-2015. "Our world possesses the knowledge and resources to achieve the MDGs," Mr. Ban says in the report. Falling short of the Goals "would be an unacceptable failure, moral and practical."

The problem according to Secretary-General Ban has been a lack of political will:

Political Will the Missing Link for MDGs - IPS ipsnews.net:DEVELOPMENT

Ban addressed U.N. member states and media following the release of his report, "Keeping the Promise", on Mar. 16. The report "reviews successes, identifies obstacles, and suggests ways to accelerate progress," according to the secretary-general.

At a meeting of the General Assembly, he warned that, "We are off course because of unmet commitments, inadequate resources and a lack of focus and accountability."

"We do not need new pledges," Ban said later that day at a media briefing. "If nations deliver on the financial commitments they have already made, we can achieve the goals. There is clearly a lack of political will."

As a part of the process leading to the summit, the General Assembly will also convene ‘Hearings’ with representatives of civil society and the private sector from 14-15 June. The outcomes of these hearings will provide an input to the preparatory process for the Summit and be issued as an Assembly document.

A nomination process for speakers at the hearings has now been opened so that interested individuals can apply to actively participate at the event. The application deadline is 16 April 2010 for the June meeting. Click here for more information on the Hearings and the speaker selection process.

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International Women's Day and Millennium Development Goal 3 Perfect Match

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What the Millennium Development Goal No. 3 Gender Equity is trying to achieve is made manifest in the celebration of International Women's Day. This post is in support of the International Women's Day online event being sponsored by BloggersUnite member BlogCatalog.

International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

The Internet provides numerous ways of getting involved. This is what I heard from fellow ONE Member Rochelle Gibbs providing means of social collaboration and engagement.

I joined ONE because I'm a mom. I saw what other mothers go through in developing countries, the difficult decisions they have to make and their incredible strength. I could only imagine how I'd feel in one of their places.

ONE is starting a new initiative called "Women ONE2ONE", and it's all about women taking action and connecting with each other to fight poverty. With every voice we add, we can help send another young girl to school, help an HIV-positive expecting mother keep from passing the virus on to her baby, and help another woman find the courage to speak out against oppression and corruption.

I'm asking you. Raise your voice today for a woman who can't.

One million women's voices. Imagine what we can get done.

Issues of economic sustainability impact women across the globe as demonstrated by this talk from the World Economic Forum India Economic Summit - New Delhi, India demonstrates.

Investing in Girls, Investing in Development means that empowering girls means breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and helping to build sustainable economies.

The question is, "What needs to be done by business and government to ensure that girls are placed at the forefront of the regional development agenda?"

The folks at Care2.com share part of the answer and that is by Reaching Millions of Girls in the Developing World.

The UN Foundation and the Nike Foundation provided seed funding for a UN project to end child marriage in the Amhara region. The project, called Berhane Hewan, convenes community discussions, and girls’ clubs where girls get access to education, health and HIV education, and are encouraged to delay marriage. Families who keep their daughters in school and in the program are rewarded with an economic incentive that will contribute to the long-term well-being of the family, such as a sheep.

Kathy Calvin CEO of the UN Foundation, a public charity that connects people, ideas, and resources to the UN to solve global problems.

These are just some of the ways of getting involved.

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Plan to Make Some Noise for the MDGs this September

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A little while ago I got the news from StandAgainstPoverty.org that the next Stand Up Take Action event was beginning to be organized. This time though there was an opportunity to have a direct impact on our global policy makers.

When world leaders gather at the United Nations for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Review Summit in September, the voices of their citizens will follow them, telling them, loudly and clearly: "We will no longer stay seated or silent in the face of poverty and the broken promises to end it!'

This time the "Stand Up 2010" mobilization will take place over three days beginning Friday September 17th till Sunday 19th with a specific audience in mind.

The MDG Review Summit offers us as MDG Campaigners, a unique opportunity to leverage and even influence the political and media focus surrounding the lead up to the meeting and the meeting itself. Moving Stand Up forward to the weekend before the Summit will allow us to drive our activities throughout the year towards a high-profile Stand Up mobilization with a direct link to and with the specific intention of impacting on the proceedings at the Summit itself. It will also allow us to focus our activities and work in 2010 towards a specific policy moment and to articulate clear and relevant policy demands based on what we want our various governments and delegations to do leading up to the Summit and what we expect them to achieve at the Summit itself.

There will be One Day of Unified Global Action: Stand Up, Take Action, Make Noise for the MDGs!

That day will be September 18th, 2010 celebrating Stand Up, take Action, Make a Noise for the MDGs! This idea that came out of the Africa Campaigners Retreat held in Malawi.

We are encouraging people all over the world to take part in a common global action which is designed to grab public, political and media attention and to make sure that the global movement in support of the MDGs is seen and heard in every corner of the globe.

We hope to see widespread participation in this global action and are urging everybody to think of creative ways to generate a noise which is also relevant to their particular area or scope of work. Examples of noise- making ideas include citizens gathering in a public space to bang spoons on metal plates as a way of illustrating Hunger ; Church groups and temples could arrange for their church/temple bells to be rung at the same time on that date in cities across their country; local musicians could come together to play their instruments in innovative locations - African drummers on Mt. Kilimanjaro; the French National Orchestra from the top of the Eiffel Tower; football fans in South Africa blowing their local "Vuvuzelas(trumpets) at football matches that weekend. An online action allowing people to generate a noise through an online and mobile phone application will also be made available.

The possibilities for creative noise-making are vast and this action is accessible to all and easily adaptable to make it relevant and resonant.

This year they are not trying for the the Guinness World record a decision which I support because it become more about the numbers and less about the message.

What they are trying to achieve is having an "MDG Breakthrough Plan" delivered to the Summit by each country. This effort will be ongoing throughout 2010.

We will be demanding that regions and countries produce "Breakthrough Action Plans" and that these plans be presented, discussed and adopted as part of the outcomes at the Summit in September. The process of feeding into and shaping these "Breakthrough" plans will take place throughout the year, from January to June. Each national Campaign will define key moments throughout the year which can be leveraged at regional and national level to intervene and influence the process as well as to get the message out.

Rich country governments should deliver to the Summit ambitious plans with concrete timetables and deadlines to scale up aid efforts and improve its effectiveness according to the Accra Agenda of Action framework.

• Breakthrough Action plans: We expect Heads of State of every country, rich and poor, to come to the MDG Review Summit with clear MDG Breakthrough Action Plans. These "Breakthrough Plans" should include approaches for scaling up and sustaining successful small scale strategies and approaches, explore innovative approaches to reaching the targets and design appropriate, relevant and specific strategies and interventions based on specific needs and circumstances. No more "business as usual" it's time for "business unusual".
• Localising the MDGS: MDGs must be mainstreamed and integrated into local development plans; capacities of local authorities must be enhanced to prioritise MDGs and increase access to information and engagement between citizens and local authorities.
• Accountability: These plans must incorporate a strong focus on addressing accountability of rich countries to poor countries (at the global level) and from governments to citizens (at the national and local levels), on the issue of MDGs for all. In turn, we should have a clear message and plan for holding them to this commitment and we should articulate this loudly and often. Citizens will be watching their governments and holding them accountable for their commitments over the next five years.
• Goal 8: Rich countries should deliver to the Summit ambitious plans with concrete timetables and deadlines to scale up aid efforts. Rich countries must fulfill their existing aid commitments, deliver the 0.7 percent they have pledged and make sure it is in line with oft-agreed aid effectiveness principles, such as the Accra Agenda.
  These plans should respect the policy space of poor countries and include accountability mechanisms for aid delivery including tracking and mechanisms for corrective action. In addition, the Summit outcome should include a pro-poor breakthrough on the Doha trade talks.
• Inequality: The MDGs are for everybody. We will not accept inequality in any area be it gender, spatial, ethnic (including the rights of indigenous people and lower castes) or in relation to persons with disability.
• MDGs Are Achievable: Much progress has been made in the last decade even in the poorest countries and most MDGs are still achievable in most countries, as long as policies and implementation mechanisms that are accountable to the poor are in place. In countries where governments have done the right thing, success has followed. If this expands and continues there is no reason why these successes cannot be repeated over the next five years.
• 2010 is not the beginning of a "new and uncertain" voyage towards the MDGS: Rather, it is the "refueling' point on a voyage that has been ongoing for ten years - more than long enough to have seen that the MDGs work. The next five years are the final leg on that journey, what is needed is not a new set of plans, but implementation of clear plans to reach the originally agreed destination by 2015, building on the learning's of the first decade.
• Power of the People: We as individuals acting together have the power to influence this process, but we must engage early and decisively to make this happen.

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